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I wish she had explained WHY the outside rein is the connecting rein. I've often wondered why the outside rein puts the horse on the bit, the whole mechanics of it. Maybe someone here can explain the why and how.

One slows the walk with the outside rein first? (or only????). Imho first comes the seat. Note the nodding that happens? "Round"= more btv??? Same thing for turning...what about the seat's/leg's job(s)?

Maybe she is just trying to get an idea across about rein usage? I like her explanations. I see a lot of riders misusing that inside rein. I'm sure the "twinkle" is a squeeze. It's only a small snippet of a video specifically about the outside rein. It would take hours to put all the aids together.

Thanks for posting

I love the first Piaffe she does, it almost looks like her horse just offered it up.

As far as nit picking at her explanations, I am wondering if she is trying to get the message across to newer dressage riders, you have to start somewhere.....

The main thing that I admire about Jane is that she is dedicated to trying to communicate the finer points of dressage to us mortals (average folks with average horses), to try to break things down into simple bits that can be practiced.
She gives me confidence that I CAN figure things out. IMO she is a wonderful communicator. Very much like Lendon Gray, another of my favorites.

Yep, she says on her website that she's trying to make dressage accessable for those of us for whom it is not instinctive. I wish I could afford the "happy horse" course, but... well, ain't gonna happen.

Yep, she says on her website that she's trying to make dressage accessable for those of us for whom it is not instinctive. I wish I could afford the "happy horse" course, but... well, ain't gonna happen.

Does anyone have any other books/videos to recommend?

I wish I could afford Happy Horse, too!

I am working on the outside rein, and I watched the video before going to ride and it really helped me solidify what I wanted to avoid - overbending with the inside rein.

The piaffe one really explained the connection from ground up. But man, I want that indoor!

KellyIt is rare to see a rider who is truly passionate about the horse and his training, taking a profound interest in dressage with self-abnegation, and making this extraordinarily subtle work one of the dominant motivations of his life.\"

I love the first Piaffe she does, it almost looks like her horse just offered it up.

As far as nit picking at her explanations, I am wondering if she is trying to get the message across to newer dressage riders, you have to start somewhere.....

The main thing that I admire about Jane is that she is dedicated to trying to communicate the finer points of dressage to us mortals (average folks with average horses), to try to break things down into simple bits that can be practiced.
She gives me confidence that I CAN figure things out. IMO she is a wonderful communicator. Very much like Lendon Gray, another of my favorites.

Very nice. I think it's fabulous to break it down into small pieces - Dressage instruction is all too often analogous to drinking from a firehose. Comprehend, practice, and perfect one component at a time and then put all the pieces together.

I find Jane Savoie's videos and books to be great tools. I have video tapes of the Half Halt Demystified and a copy of That Winning Feeling. I refer to both every so often. Mrs. Savoie is also a class act. Just a nice person. When I was a young rider I corresponded with her several times. She and her husband even sent me a graduation card when I finished high school. I'll never forget it!

I love Riding in Your Mind's Eye, which sounds really flaky but is actually very practical. Basically she has Betsy Steiner ride the walk, trot, canter, circles, transitions, etc (depending on the video, there are 2 in the series). She shows the same move over and over, shows it in slow motion and really describes as many ways as she can how it is supposed to feel, what your body should be doing (and avoid doing!) The point is to hold those images in your mind for when you do it yourself. For people like me who don't get to see great dressage riding very often (I mostly ride alone), it is really helpful to have those images.